Meaningful Learning Experiences: Blended and Personalized Learning

The third session in a four-part professional learning series hosted by TxLx, Getting Smart, and the Learner-Centered Collaborative facilitated a discussion on meaningful learning experiences focused on blended and personalized learning. View the slide deck below to learn more about defining personalized learning and blended learning models.

The session featured the work of Raising Blended Learners, Dallas ISD, and Ector County ISD, as well as new learning models featured in the TxLx library.

During our reflection, we discussed certain practices that it’s time to stop:

• Requiring the same professional development for all teachers
• Thinking about personalized learning from a deficit perspective
• Learning information that isn’t meaningful for students, and instead use data to understand learners’ interests and needs to personalize their learning on topics that actually matter to them and their communities

This group discussed continuing and exploring other topics:

• Practices of competency-based education
• Differentiated professional development
• Asking students about their experience to avoid making assumptions about what students need- what’s working, what’s not
• Goal setting and reflecting to support all learners
• Using data to be used consistently to help with goal setting and agency
• Think of these changes as good not just for students, but for anyone in learning
• Communication with families
• Innovations from the pandemic we had to do and make them part of meeting student/family needs moving forward – creative solutions

Session Resources

The following resources were shared during our session and referenced within our slides:

• Our Learner-Centered Framework
• What’s Possible in Learner-Centered Education
• Personalized Learning at Vista
• About Raising Blended Learners
• Raising Blended Learners Workshops
• Emails for RBL: micha@catalexander.com and cat@catalexander.com
• The PL Toolbox, Dallas ISD
• The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
• Innovation Showcase
• UTeach
• Texas Learning Exchange New Models Library
• What Does Your Ideal Learning Environment Look Like?
• ProtoCALL for Change Workbook
• Personalized Learning DISD
• Dallas ISD TxLx Case Study

Host Your Own Meaningful Learning Experience Session

If you are interested in hosting your own Meaningful Learning Experience session, you can find the slide deck here:

Once you’ve reviewed the intro content or watched the session video as a group, it’s time for breakout sessions.

For the breakout rooms, we recommend giving each group a slide template or piece of paper (if in person) and having them work through an Stop. Continue. Explore. protocol. The groups should each pick a presenter and be prepared to share out. Once all the groups have shared collectively, end the session by discussing next steps and commitments you can make toward measuring what matters.

We’d love to hear how your sessions go and what you’ve learned! Send your thoughts, growth, and feedback to info@txlx.org.

Upcoming Sessions

The TxLx project team is excited to announce the next session in our professional learning series:

• Learning From One Another – December 8, 2021

If you missed our past two sessions, you can view the recordings and host your own sessions with our resources.

• September session: Accelerating Learning
• October session: Measuring What Matters